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Recommendations for Beginner friendly snow sure for New Year 17/18 easy transfer from Geneva

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi All,
Could you help recommend a resort which may be fairly snow sure Dec 30th, which is not a mamouth transfer for two families from Geneva (with kids who get travel sick!), which will suit children and adults who have been once (with other adults happy to explore other parts and stretch their legs now and then)? I was thinking somewhere with lots of lovely greens and blues, but with a range of other stuff for others to explore as well. We have so far looked at L'Alp D'huez....but aware the transfer from Genever is fairly long....

Any other suggestions, or do you think we're on the right lines?
Thank you
Smile
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
I'm not so sure any of the closer resorts, ie Avoriaz, Flaine etc can claim to be "snow sure" given the past few years, for that you really need a glacier, but that ups the drive time massively from Geneva.

Are you having to fly into Geneva or could you fly to different airports?
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
We've managed to grab some incredibly cheap flights to Geneva - so Geneva it is!
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Are there any options involving trains from Geneva etc? That certainly would make it easier with the kids maybe?
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Familyskier wrote:
Are there any options involving trains from Geneva etc? That certainly would make it easier with the kids maybe?


Yes - very convenient train to Zermatt and very picturesque. Although rather long 3.5h but it is OK as such. However prices in Zermatt can make some eyes water .... for you to see whether cheap Geneva flights and expensive accommodation in Zermatt is better than rearranging your flights in search for a more affordable accommodation

btw - train goes straight from GVA airport to Zermatt (only one change, very easy when switching from a regular train to a mountain train to a car free Zermatt. Train change is super fast, could be even on the same platform)
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given that time of year I'd be loath to recommend some of the closer resorts...somewhere like Trois Vallees or Espace Killy are further afield but have managed to get a good amount of skiing open despite the recent poor starts to the season.

Avoriaz is close and fairly high, could stay in Morzine and worst case get a lift up to Avoriaz. I can't recall how much they had open over the Xmas period this year.....
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
ADH is too far IMO.

TBH despite the last three Christmas's being pretty pants I'd still take a punt on somewhere like Les Gets or Samoans. The tide will turn on the Christmas snow front at some point and besides the ability to make snow in late Dec/early Jan should mean even these resorts will be open and functioning. And they do have skiing up to 2500m. If you want to play and suffer the long transfer then Val T or Tignes is the way to go.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
@Familyskier, if you have "incredibly" cheap flights, what days are they on? France has a strong Saturday-Saturday bias for high weeks...
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Yes- They're sat-sat Smile I love love love Les Gets (did that this year and the kids ADORED it!), and so PDS and Avoriaz all sound lovely. As does Tignes....... Thank you all.....this is really helpful.... any additional suggestions, please keep coming Smile Smile Thank you x
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@Familyskier, to avoid a windy transfer, you could stay in Arc 1600. Get a transfer to Bourg St Maurice then the funicular railway up the hill to Arc 1600. Still a longish transfer (2-2.5 hours) but motorway/A road all the way. Les Arcs is pretty snow sure and has nice easy runs as well as more interesting stuff as well.
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I love the Grand Massif ski area but do not think Samoens would be a good option for New Year. Risk of lift queues and busy pistes. It does have the advantage of being an easy drive from Geneva though. I think Morillon would be a better option for beginners. Slightly risky on the snow front though based on the past three years.

I would highly recommend going to La Rosiere. It has a good snow record and is very family orientated and likely to be a little less crowded than some of the other high altitude Tarentaise resorts. We liked the Cimes Blanches apartments in the Les Eucharts area of the resort.

We went to Les Arcs last Christmas and there was enough snow but once the New Year folk arrived the pistes became very crowded.

From what I've heard of the road up to Alpe D'Huez I wouldn't risk it with kids who are travel sick.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
snowymum wrote:
I love the Grand Massif ski area but do not think Samoens would be a good option for New Year. Risk of lift queues and busy pistes.

Is there a greater risk than anywhere else? Genuine question - I've never skied there...
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@snowymum, the road up to la ros is pretty long and windy iirc...
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Layne, I would agree with you that New Year is a busy week in most resorts. However the particular issues that I've heard about from more than one person over Samoens are that the gondola can have long queues at New Year/half term, the piste from the top of that to the Chariande Express can get very crowded and it can also get very crowded around the Tete des Saix - which is the main linking point between all the GM resorts. If visibility is poor or the slopes are icy they would not be the easiest to negotiate with beginner kids.

The Grand Massif as a whole is our family's favourite ski area but we like to go there in April when there is usually still plenty of snow and the slopes are quieter. I realise the OP has already booked flights this time so is tied to New Year week.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Gämsbock wrote:
@snowymum, the road up to la ros is pretty long and windy iirc...



I'd agree that the short windy stretch at the end is the drawback to La Rosiere but the resort has everything else going for it in my opinion.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
For shortest transfer and no windy roads Chamonix is your answer. Only 1hr away on motorway all the way to the resort.
ADH there is no connection using shared transfers from GVA so you need a private transfer (about 400 euros one way). Its 3hrs away and you have 21 famous bends to get to resort from Bourg d'Oisans.
What is your max journey time?
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Przymorze wrote:
For shortest transfer and no windy roads Chamonix is your answer. Only 1hr away on motorway all the way to the resort.

Not beginner friendly though.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Layne wrote:
Przymorze wrote:
For shortest transfer and no windy roads Chamonix is your answer. Only 1hr away on motorway all the way to the resort.

Not beginner friendly though.


Hi,
I would disagree Smile
Lots of very nice blues in Les Houches. It looks very similar to Les Gets in my opinion.
Chamonix-Les Praz and Le Tour area also offer lots of blue cruising.
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Przymorze wrote:
Layne wrote:
Przymorze wrote:
For shortest transfer and no windy roads Chamonix is your answer. Only 1hr away on motorway all the way to the resort.

Not beginner friendly though.


Hi,
I would disagree Smile
Lots of very nice blues in Les Houches. It looks very similar to Les Gets in my opinion.
Chamonix-Les Praz and Le Tour area also offer lots of blue cruising.


There's too much faffing on buses in Chamonix for beginners IMO. I'd look for ski in ski out.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Not quite answering the OP but I'd go Christmas instead if New Year, so much quieter, Salzburg instead if Geneva, and somewhere beginner friendly like Filzmoos, which has a 1hr transfer.
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Cancel the flights and head to Italy or Austria.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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@Familyskier, I've not been there myself, but I believe La Clusaz has short transfers from Geneva and is beginner friendly. However I don't know its snow record or what the snow conditions are likely to be at New Year.
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